


All Hallow's Eve

by GhostDetective



Series: Downton Shorts [11]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Closeted Character, Forbidden Love, Ghosts, Halloween, M/M, Multi, Ouija, Romance, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 15:03:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16477805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostDetective/pseuds/GhostDetective
Summary: Halloween 1926:Moonlight fell across Downton Abbey, glinting off of windows and giving the house an eerie glow. Though the family may have retired for the night, the Servants Hall was still a hive of activity.





	All Hallow's Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Something spooky for Halloween.

Halloween 1926: 

Moonlight fell across Downton Abbey, glinting off of windows and giving the house an eerie glow. Though the family may have retired for the night, the Servants Hall was still a hive of activity. 

Thomas had already completed the wine inventory and locked the silverware in the Butler’s Pantry, he was just on his way from conferring with Mrs Patmore on what the Crawley’s had chosen for their meal tomorrow night, so that he could chose the wines to go with it, when Anna came downstairs, carrying a box in her hand.  
“What have you got there?” Bates asked, smiling.  
“I found this in the attic when I was bringing Lady Mary’s winter wardrobe down.” She set the box down on the table and looked at the other servants. “It seemed the perfect night for it, Halloween, when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest.” She grinned mischievously.  
The box was covered in dust and had deteriorated slightly with age, but the words ‘Ouija - Mystifying Oracle’ were still clearly visible. It was the ouija board that they had used at Christmas all those years ago. 

Mrs Hughes looked uncertain, Bates frowned sceptically, but Thomas felt his curiosity pique. He had never been a believer in ghosts, as such, but he was curious about the idea of them.  
“What do you think, Mr Barrow?” Anna asked, turning to Thomas. “Shall we ask out and see who answers?”  
“Why not? It is Halloween after all.”  
“I think,” Bates suggested, “that we should get Robert to bed so that he’s not overtired tomorrow.”  
“He’s having a sleepover in the nursery.” Anna smiled. “George won’t let him out of his sight, so he’s spending the night in there. So, what do you think?”  
“I think I’m getting too old for this.” Came a voice from the Kitchen. Mrs Patmore came through the door to the Servants’ Hall, looking very harassed, followed by Daisy.  
“We were thinking about trying to contact some restless spirits, Mrs Patmore, do you want to join us? You’re welcome too, Daisy.”  
“Sure.” Daisy replied.  
“The only thing I’m thinking about contacting is my bed.” Mrs Patmore brushed past them and made her way to the servants staircase. “‘Night.” She called to them as she went through the door, the other servants wished her a goodnight.  
“Well, I’ll say my goodbyes now.” Mrs Hughes announced to the rest of the hall, as Miss Baxter came down the stairs. “Goodnight, everyone and don’t stay up too late.”  
There was a chorus of “Goodnight, Mrs Hughes,” from the rest of the servants. Mrs Hughes turned to Thomas.  
“You’re doing a grand job, I know Mr Carson struggles to say it, but you’re a wonderful Butler, Thomas, and an asset to this house.” She patted his arm gently and then left through the back door.  
Miss Baxter came up to him, smiling.  
“You’ve come into your own. Well done, Mr Barrow.”  
Thomas smiled shyly.  
“Do you want to join our seance, Miss Baxter?” Anna asked.  
Miss Baxter smiled.  
“I’d like that.” 

Anna opened the box and pulled out the board and the planchette, putting them in the centre of the big table and they all sat around it, Bates looking sceptical, the others intrigued.  
“We need to warm the board up first,” Anna said and they all put their fingers on the planchette, moving it around the board in a big circle a few times, before returning it to the centre. “Who wants to call out?” She asked, looking around the circle.  
“I think you should do it, as you brought down the board.” Miss Baxter replied, smiling.  
Anna laughed nervously.  
“Is there anybody there?”  
There was a pause, then the planchette moved to ‘Yes.’  
Daisy squirmed.  
“I don’t like it when that happens.”  
The planchette moved again, to ‘Hello.’  
Miss Baxter called out.  
“Do you have a message for us?”  
The planchette hesitated, then moved to spell out.  
‘I-C-A-N-S-E-E-Y-O-U.’  
“Ooh, I don’t like this.” Daisy groaned.  
Then the planchette flew towards Thomas.  
Thomas looked around the table to see who was moving it, but they all looked as surprised as he was, they returned the planchette to the centre.  
“Do you mean Mr Barrow?” Bates asked. The planchette moved back towards Thomas, even faster than it had before.  
“Do you like Mr Barrow?” Anna asked.  
‘T-H-O-M-A-S’  
“Do you have a message for him?”  
The planchette did a big sweep of the board, then went back to Thomas.  
“Hello.” Thomas called out. “Do you have a message for me?”  
The planchette hesitated, then spelled out.  
‘I-M-S-O-R-R-Y’  
“What are you sorry for?” Miss Baxter asked.  
“S-U-I-C-I-D-E”  
There was an uncomfortable silence, everyone avoided looking at Thomas, but the board had not had its final word.  
‘H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L’  
“Did you die in a hospital?” Daisy asked, though Thomas was beginning to feel a dawning sense of realisation.  
‘I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U’ The planchette shot back to Thomas.  
“Aww…” Daisy looked at Thomas. “I think it likes you.”  
“What’s your name?” Thomas asked, but he already knew the answer, even as the board spelled it out.  
‘E-D-W-A-R-D-C-O-U-R-T-E-N-A-Y’  
Thomas felt suddenly chilly, as if an ice cold mist was enveloping him.  
“Who’s Edward Courtenay?” Daisy asked.  
Thomas felt tears beginning to prick at his eyes.  
“During the war, you remember I was stationed at Downton Hospital before I came back here?” They nodded. “Well there was an officer there who was blinded by gas. We got to be close, he never regained his sight, but he…” Thomas swallowed thickly. “He killed himself. I found him the morning after.” Tears started to fall from his eyes and he sobbed. “When I tried to end my life… I tried to do it the same way. I was thinking of him. I wanted to be with him again. I never got to tell him that… That I loved him.” Thomas dried his eyes on his sleeve. The rest of the servants looked close to tears themselves.  
The planchette started moving again.  
‘I-K-N-O-W’  
“Hello, Edward.” Thomas smiled, sniffling.  
The planchette moved towards ‘Hello.’  
“Have you been with me all this time?”  
‘Yes.’  
Thomas felt fresh tears threatening to spill.  
“I’m sorry,” Thomas dried his eyes on his cuff. “It’s just… Knowing you’ve been there all this time, and not being able to see you, or touch you… it hurts… and knowing you saw… what happened. It must have hurt you too.”  
The planchette moved again.  
‘W-A-T-C-H-I-N-G-O-V-E-R-Y-O-U’  
Thomas gave a laugh that turned into a sniff.  
“In life, I was your guardian angel, now, in death, you’re mine.”  
‘Yes.’  
Thomas smiled.  
“I love you, Edward.”  
‘I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U-T-O-O’  
The planchette was moving slower, as if tiredness were beginning to set in. Thomas felt the same way, his arms were heavy but, much as he was thinking longingly of his bed, he didn’t want Edward to leave.  
“Promise you’ll stay with me.”  
‘Yes.’  
“Thank you. Goodbye, Edward.”  
‘Goodbye.’

The planchette stopped moving. Thomas closed his eyes, feeling more tears run down his cheeks. There was a deathly quiet from the table. Thomas opened his eyes and saw that Miss Baxter was drying her eyes on her handkerchief, Anna looked like she was about to cry herself, Daisy looked bewildered and even Bates looked solemn.  
“I… I think I’m going to bed now. Goodnight.” Thomas stood up, sniffing and made his way to the servants’ staircase, as the others mumbled a quiet “Goodnight, Mr Barrow,” after him. As he opened the door, he heard their whispered conversation.  
“Poor Thomas.”  
“That was heartbreaking. Has he ever mentioned Edward to you?”  
“No, he’s never spoken about the war.”  
Thomas closed the door behind him and climbed to his bedroom, barely noticing his surroundings. For a few moments, he had been reunited with Edward and now he knew that Edward was still around him, that he had never left him, and that he returned Thomas’ love. 

Thomas went into his bedroom and started to undress. What if Edward was around him now? Edward didn’t have any family, at least, none that he would have cared to haunt, so did he haunt Thomas all the time? Should he feel self-conscious about undressing? Thomas pulled on his pyjamas. Knowing that Edward loved him was a bittersweet feeling. Though Thomas wept for the time they could have had together and he felt Edward’s loss with renewed pain, he also drew comfort from his presence and the love that still burned just as strongly as it had all those years ago. 

Thomas pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. As he reached for the lamp, he looked across the room.  
“Goodnight, Edward.”  
He turned the light off and rolled onto his side. Just as he was beginning to get comfortable, Thomas felt the bed dip slightly. He felt a cool hand caress his cheek and a gentle breath ghosting across his lips.


End file.
